ABSTRACT
In Cairo he went to a school in an old quarter of the city near the Azhar mosque, Khan al-Khalili, where he was able to experience at first hand the life of the bustling crowded quarters of Cairo, the other aspect of poverty in Egypt. During this early period of his life he greatly missed his mother and was deeply disturbed when he learned that she had died during their separation. He did not approve of his father’s early remarriage and the resulting disillusion strengthened his independence and perhaps his introspection. It may also have implanted in him a mistrust of others which he retained for the rest of his life. He was from then on known for his serious and thoughtful nature.
